The Mount of Remembrance -Sigiriya and Dambulla

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Another early morning start, mainly to beat the heat, and the crowds, Gill, Sandra, Katie and I, joined by our Sri Lankan family set off for the day. Our first stop, Sigiriya, which is the best preserved city centre in Asia from the first millennium, with all its buildings and gardens with their trees, paths and water gardens. Actually climbing to the top of this rock was so rewarding. When I saw how many steps I had to climb, I thought oh no, not a chance, but once you get going it does get easier, and to actually reach the top was fantastic, the views were spectacular. The worst part was having to climb a metal spiral staircase to have a look into some caves which the most spectacular wall paintings. The whole thing consists of the central rock, 200 meters above the ground, and then two rectangular precincts on the east and the west which are surrounded by two moats.

Then we made the half hour journey to Dambulla, which of all the cave temples in Sri Lanka, this is by far is the most impressive. Dambulla is about 12 miles south west of Sigiriya, on the Matale-Anuradhapura Road. The largest cave carries some 48 statues of Lord Buddha alone, with statues of some Hindu gods. The statues of the Hindu gods date back to the 12th century, when Hinduism took root in Sri Lanka and started influencing the arts. There is so much history in these caves dating back to the 2nd or 1st century B.C., and King Valagam Bahu took refuge in these caves. I saw the bed he lay on, it was explained how the water made its way down the face of the cave wearing it away, then as it hit the ground the cool air passed through the water making a kind of air conditioning for him!! how cool was that!

If you are thinking of visiting Sri Lanka, then these two places are a definite must.

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Photos

Dambulla
One of the Buddha's inside the caves

Sigiriya
A view as we were climbing

Dambulla
Just part of one of the ornate ceilings

Sigiriya
This was my view from the top